The unpromising black snake was easily coaxed.
It lowered its head, leaving icy-cool traces along Su Su’s cheeks and the corners of her lips before gradually extending down to her neck… In truth, the black snake wanted much more, but in its original form, it seemed utterly useless apart from drenching the female in its saliva.
The scenes it had witnessed in the small forest replayed in its eager mind.
The black snake licked while lost in thought.
Su Su felt an itch on her cheeks from being licked. Her hand instinctively pressed against Xiao Hei’s head, stroking it as she turned her thoughts.
However, what she was contemplating was far more serious than what the black snake was thinking.
Though she had already accepted that Xiao Hei would eventually take human form, there were still many unanswered questions: How exactly would it transform? Should it transform sooner or later? And was transformation truly beneficial for a battle pet?
Sister Yun’s words echoed repeatedly in her ears.
Yet, the other party had not explained in detail, as if deliberately luring her into seeking the truth on her own.
They had only just arrived at the Northern Base, but Su Su could already sense that this journey in search of medical help might not be so simple.
As her thoughts swirled to the point of a headache, she lifted her eyes and noticed that Xiao Hei was slowly slipping downward… She hurriedly caught its tail, her moment of solemn contemplation abruptly interrupted by panic.
She met the eager gaze of the black snake for a few seconds before suddenly saying, “Xiao Hei, let me give you a new name.”
She wasn’t some top-tier genius; if she couldn’t figure something out, she might as well not dwell on it. If someone harbored intentions against them, it would be exposed sooner or later.
Rather than overthinking, it was better to focus on the present.
For example, the matter of renaming Xiao Hei—it had already been put off for days.
“Hiss!”
The black snake’s attention was instantly diverted. Its dark green vertical pupils gazed at the female with clear anticipation.
Su Su immediately felt an invisible pressure.
She racked her brains for a long time. In both this life and the last, she hadn’t touched a book for five years, and her pitifully limited knowledge base left her at a loss.
Moreover, she had already promised to give Xiao Hei the most unique name.
In surrender, Su Su pressed her forehead against the black snake’s head and said, “Let’s go out and find a place that sells dictionaries first, shall we?”
Coincidentally, they also needed to purchase some household necessities after moving here.
Hearing that Su Su was going out, Pang Cancan sprang up from the recliner. “I want to go too! I haven’t seen the Northern Base’s trading market yet!”
Before leaving, the short guy had pointed out the location of the market.
It was only a few kilometers away on foot.
For evolved Ability User, that distance was nothing more than a leisurely stroll.
After learning that Su Su was going to buy books, Pang Cancan, a self-aware academic failure, sensibly wandered off to explore stalls that piqued her interest.
Su Su wasn’t worried about her.
A Tier 5 poison-type ability user with area-of-effect attacks was practically invincible unless she encountered a Tier 6 ability user.
There were many ability users coming in and out of the trading market.
Su Su had only taken a few steps when she noticed that many people were accompanied by a battle pet. Whether it was ability users without a battle pet or ordinary people, they were all already accustomed to this.
Even if a Tier 4 peacock appeared in the middle of the road, no one would be surprised. They would simply move aside automatically.
Su Su observed silently for a long time before pulling open a not-too-big, not-too-small gap in her backpack.
A black snake’s head emerged, fitting perfectly into the opening.
The backpack was black, and the snake was also black. Since the gazes of passersby were focused on Su Su herself, they didn’t easily notice that she was carrying a large python with her.
The crowd on both sides was packed. No matter how indifferent or numb people were, when they saw a beautiful woman passing by, their eyes would still involuntarily follow her for a moment.
Superior head-to-body ratio, a face no larger than a palm, skin as delicate as if it could be broken by a mere touch, beautiful brows and eyes… It was as if she had won the genetic lottery. Placed among a crowd, she stood out exceptionally.
Some were admiring, while others were secretly observing.
The black snake on her back saw the human gazes with absolute clarity.
It stared coldly at the few men whose eyes held obvious malice and predatory intent. Fortunately, no one had yet dared to directly approach her; otherwise, an incident would have been unavoidable.
In front of outsiders, Su Su’s expression was always kept cold and indifferent.
With her appearance, if she acted more gentle and approachable, she would inevitably attract flies who assumed she was easy to bully.
It had actually only been a few months since her rebirth.
She had already gone from being someone anyone could bully and leer at to someone others had to think twice about before approaching.
Strength truly was the ultimate truth.
After browsing for a long time, Su Su finally found a book stall in the most remote corner.
Various books were scattered on an old bedsheet. While other stalls had a constant flow of people, this one was practically deserted. The stall owner was sprawled out on the ground, sleeping so soundly that he wasn’t the least bit worried about anyone stealing his goods.
Su Su squatted down in front of the pile of books.
The most prominent ones in the front row were time-killing novels and various magazines.
She casually flipped through them and unexpectedly found several shockingly explicit little H-books… Wait a minute, were such books even allowed to be published before the apocalypse?
Just as she was still in shock, the stall owner turned over and lazily said, “One Grade 1 crystal per book. The colored ones range from Grade 2 to Grade 3 crystals.”
After speaking, he seemed to have noticed the little H-book in Su Su’s hand and, as if it were completely normal, added, “Want a USB drive? The resources are all stored locally. If you can dig up a still-functioning computer, it’s way more thrilling than just reading these books.”
Su Su silently put the book down.
The stall owner was clearly unwilling to let go of such a rare business opportunity and continued, “There are also comic books. Want some?”
He pulled out a few even more explicit comic books.
Just looking at the covers made Su Su’s face burn.
“Psh, what’s there to be embarrassed about?” The stall owner pointed to the special books that made up the bulk of his stock. “Do you know what those writers and artists from before the apocalypse are doing now? They’re all making this kind of stuff to survive! Buying a book now is like supporting a struggling writer or artist, helping them produce a few more classic works before they starve to death.”
Su Su: “……”
The stall owner was too talkative, leaving Su Su momentarily speechless.
“I’m not…”
“Eh? Your battle pet is a snake?” The stall owner finally noticed the snake head emerging from her backpack. Surprisingly, he wasn’t afraid. Instead, he dug out a comic book with a snake on the cover from the very bottom of the pile. “It’ll definitely transform into a human in the future, right? Here, here, give it some enlightenment. It’ll be beneficial for you too!”
The moment Su Su’s gaze landed on the cover, her expression changed dramatically. She immediately turned around and zipped up her backpack as tightly as possible.
“I’m not here to buy these,” she said, still shaken. “I’m just here to buy a dictionary.”
“A dictionary?” The stall owner pursed his lips, looking rather disappointed. “Do I look like the kind of stall that sells serious books?”
It was the apocalypse—who still read proper books?
Only the Research Guild would periodically recruit a handful of outstanding minds and bring them back for specialized education. But those numbers were too small, and the demand for proper books wasn’t high.
Su Su’s eyes revealed undisguised disappointment. “Not even a dictionary?”
Being stared at by such a pair of beautiful eyes, the stall owner suddenly felt like he had committed some sort of crime.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “I should have one at home, but going back to get it is a hassle. How about this—give me a Grade 3 crystal, and I’ll sell you that dictionary.”
What kind of dictionary was worth a Grade 3 crystal? It was clearly just blatant price gouging.
But Su Su really needed it, so she nodded in agreement. “Alright.”
The stall owner swiftly got up. “Watch the stall for me for a bit. I’ll go get it now.”
And just like that, he left the trading market without hesitation, leaving the entire stall in Su Su’s hands.
Inside the backpack, the black snake was struggling in dissatisfaction.
After hesitating for half a second, Su Su decisively hid all the colored books under the proper novels and magazines.
By the time the black snake finally managed to poke its head out of the backpack again, the comic book it had glimpsed earlier was already nowhere to be found.
“Hiss?”
It glanced at the female human and attempted to crawl out of the backpack to look for the book.
Su Su held it down firmly. “This is someone else’s stall. You can’t rummage through it.”
The black snake was unwilling.
It had clearly heard everything just now!
As the two remained locked in a stalemate, a voice of surprise suddenly rang out from the neighboring stall.
“Is that a snake?”
Su Su instinctively looked up, only to see a man and a woman standing in front of the stall she was watching over. The woman, who had a pure and cute appearance, was staring straight at the python in her arms.
The man beside her, seeing that his dear little sister liked it, immediately said, “If you like it, I’ll buy it for you.”
Su Su: “???”
Black snake: “Hiss?”
“Really?!” The woman happily clung to the man’s arm. “Brother Yongjun, you’re so good to me! But this python probably isn’t cheap, right? I can’t bear to make you spend so much~”
Huang Yongjun sneered. “How expensive could it be?”
It wasn’t his first time buying a battle pet.
Ever since the Energy Disruption Instrument was developed, many organizations had been secretly cultivating battle pets. Low-tier battle pets could be purchased with just one tier-higher crystal.
His gaze swept over the woman sitting behind the stall. When he saw her face clearly, he was momentarily stunned before the shaking of his arm snapped him out of it.
“Brother Yongjun~” The woman pressed her chest tightly against Huang Yongjun’s arm, her voice sweet and delicate. “Ask her how much it costs~ If she refuses to sell it, then no matter how many crystals we offer, there’s nothing we can do~”
No matter how beautiful the snake-hugging woman was, she couldn’t compare to Huang Yongjun’s newly recognized god-sister from the Research Guild.
To please her, and to prove his dominance—
He pointed arrogantly at the python in Su Su’s arms and asked in a condescending tone, “How much for your battle pet?”
Su Su had endured this bizarre pair of god-siblings for quite some time. She coldly spat out a single word.
—”Scram.”
Huang Yongjun was instantly enraged, his eyes widening like copper bells. “What did you say?!”